Capilla del Atardecer, SUNSET CHAPEL / By Bunker Arquitectura ~ HouseVariety

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Capilla del Atardecer, SUNSET CHAPEL / By Bunker Arquitectura

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Bunker Arquitectura
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

SUNSET CHAPEL

Our first religious commission was a wedding chapel conceived to celebrate the first day of a couple’s new life.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

Our second religious commission had a diametrically opposite purpose: to mourn the passing of loved ones. This premise was the main driving force behind the design, the two had to be complete opposites, they were natural antagonists. While the former praised life, the latter grieved death.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

Through this game of contrasts all the decisions were made: Glass vs. Concrete, Transparency vs. Solidity, Ethereal vs. Heavy, Classical Proportions vs. Apparent Chaos, Vulnerable vs. Indestructible, Ephemeral vs. Lasting.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

The client brief was pretty simple, almost naïve:

First, the chapel had to take full advantage of the spectacular views.
Second, the sun had to set exactly behind the altar cross (of course, this is only possible twice a year at the equinoxes).
And last but not least, a section with the first phase of crypts had to be included outside and around the chapel.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

Metaphorically speaking, the mausoleum would be in perfect utopian synchrony with a celestial cycle of continuous renovation.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

Two elements obstructed the principal views: large trees and abundant vegetation, and a behemoth of a boulder blocking the main sight of the sunset. In order to clear these obstructions (blowing up the gigantic rock was absolutely out of the question for ethical, spiritual, environmental and, yes, economical reasons) the level of the chapel had to be raised at least five meters.

Photo © Courtesy of Bunker Arquitectura

Since only exotic and picturesque vegetation surrounds this virgin oasis, we strived to make the least possible impact on the site, reducing the footprint of the building to nearly half the floor area of the upper level.

Acapulco’s hills are made up of huge granite rocks piled on top of each other. In a purely mimetic endeavor, we worked hard to make the chapel look like “just another” colossal boulder atop the mountain.
Description from the Architects:

Project Data
Project name: Capilla del Atardecer, SUNSET CHAPEL
Location: Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Program: CHAPEL
Materials: Cement
Total floor area: 120 m2
Completion Year: 2011

The people

Architect: Bunker Arquitectura
Principal designers: Esteban Suarez (Founding Partner) and Sebastian Suarez
Project leaders: Mario Gottfried, Javier González & Roberto Ampudia
Project Team: Mario Gottfried, Rodrigo Gil, Roberto Ampudia, Javier González, Óscar David Sánchez Flores & Associates: Jorge Arteaga, Zaida Montañana

Structures: Juan Felipe Heredia & José Ignacio Báez

Plants: SEI

Lighting: Noriega Illuminators - Ricardo Noriega

General Contractor: Efficiency Factor - Fermin Francisco Espinosa & Villeda

Note>>Location in this map, It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

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Sunday, September 25, 2011